A Grandmother v A Mother in the matter of a female child GE aged 4 years
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Judge | McFarland J |
| Judgment Date | 29 November 2023 |
| Neutral Citation | [2023] NIFam 21 |
| Date | 29 November 2023 |
| Court | Family Division (Northern Ireland) |
1
Neutral Citation No: [2023] NIFam 21
Judgment: approved by the court for handing down
(subject to editorial corrections)*
Ref: McF12339
ICOS: 23/023561
Delivered: 29/11/2023
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE IN NORTHERN IRELAND
___________
FAMILY DIVISION
OFFICE OF CARE AND PROTECTION
___________
Between:
A GRANDMOTHER
Applicant
v
A MOTHER
Respondent
IN THE MATTER OF A FEMALE CHILD GE AGED 4 YEARS
___________
Ms B Cleland (instructed by the Elliott-Trainor Partnership solicitors) for the
Grandmother
___________
McFARLAND J
Introduction
[1] The grandmother has applied for a residence order in respect of the child who
I will call GE, a randomly chosen cipher. The mother has not engaged with the
proceedings, but she has written an email stating that she supports the application.
The father does not hold parental responsibility for the child as he is not married to
the mother and is not named on the child’s birth certificate. He has not sought to
intervene or to be represented. The local Health and Social Care Trust (“the Trust”)
have had an active role in the child’s life and have facilitated the placement of the
child with the grandmother because of the ongoing difficulties that both the mother
and father have. The Trust supports the application but has not sought to intervene
in these proceedings.
[2] I heard the application on 7 November 2023 and at the conclusion of the
hearing I gave a short ex tempore judgment granting the residence order. I indicated
that I would deliver a written judgment at a later stage, and this is that judgment.
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